I've written both types, though the series has been the most prominent.
We all enjoy "hanging out" with good friends. People that we see on a regular basis, and whose company we enjoy. But we also appreciate the opportunity to meet new people. I think that sums up my feeling about writing a series versus a stand alone.
With my Brad Frame series, I enjoy putting Brad and Sharon (and to a lesser degree Nick Argostino) into new and challenging situations. I can then allow the reader to "learn" more about the characters, to see them grow as people. In that process, I hope that readers will want to return to future adventures. They will feel - as they read - that they're spending time with old friends.
However, I also appreciate the exhilaration of creating brand new characters for a stand alone novel. In KISSES OF AN ENEMY, I used three viewpoint characters to tell the story. Dave was a Congressional Chief of Staff with a problem: an intern had gone missing in his office. Nick had a problem too. He'd been fired from his job, but had now been asked by the missing intern's father to go to Washington to find out what he could about the missing intern. Vivian was a police detective in the jurisdiction where the intern lived, and had a direct hand in the investigation. That story, and the intersection of the lives of those characters was unique. I don't think it would be possible for me to bring them back in a new (and plausible) story. Though it might be possible to bring back one of those characters. Hmmm... my mind is buzzing at the thought.
I am itching to write another stand alone. I think the process expands a writer's mind, so that when he/she returns to those series characters they can be seen with a renewed vision.
You can check out all of my novels at www.rayflynt.com. And let me know if you prefer to read a series or a stand alone mystery.
I like series better than standalones, partly because a series is comforting and partly because it helps me remember the books. I admire authors who have the imagination to keep a series new, book after book, and resent publishers who keep an author chained to a series when it is time to move on. But some authors like Susan Hill and Ruth Rendell are better at standalones than series. And some authors who are great at having a story idea, dropping it into their series, and letting it develop organically, write standalones that are a little canned like the story came to them in one piece.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your thoughtful comment. It's always nice to be able to visit with characters you perceive as "old friends."
ReplyDeleteI'm kind of the same way - I really like series, partly because I like connecting with the characters and watching them grow. But I also like a good stand alone. It all depends.
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